Jack’s Oyster Bar & Fish House opens in Jack London Square

Jack’s Oyster Bar and Fish House in Jack London Square, Oakland. Photo: Facebook

Pickled mackerel with red curry

As restaurateur Rick Hackett celebrates the five-year anniversary of Bocanova, he and partner Meredith Melville have launched a new concept just next door.

Now open in Jack London Square, Jack’s Oyster Bar & Fish House offers a fresh take on seafood on the Oakland waterfront. The menu from Hackett and executive chef Peter Villegas (whose resume includes stints at Campton Place and La Mar) features a large raw bar led by east and west coast oysters,with a daily featured oyster available for $1.50 each, wherein a quarter of each one sold will be donated to the Watershed Project.

The rest of the menu includes salads, sandwiches, and updated spins on classic seafood dishes, such as clam chowder with bacon, smoked potato and thyme ($9); a Maine Lobster Roll on housemade pretzel bun ($21); squid ink carbonara with a slow-cooked egg and pecorino ($14); halibut Fish ’n’ Chips with malt vinegar aioli ($23); and charred octopus with piquillo pepper, potatoes, and oregano ($22). Click here for the full menu, with prices.

Interior of Jack’s

The 100-seat restaurant, nestled in between Bocanova and The Forge, features a 20-seat raw bar (sporting handcrafted chairs made by Berkeley’s Wooden Duck furniture) and outdoor seating with Bay views. There is a full bar with local beer and wine on tap, sparkling wine from around the world, and a cocktail list highlighted by simple, seafood-friendly drinks such as the Dill-icious, made with blanco tequila, lime juice, St. Germain, cucumber, dill, and soda water. Click here for the drinks menu.

Jack’s is open every day from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Reservations can be made until 5:30 p.m. for dinner; after that seating is first-come, first-served.